At Cleveland April 18 3:00PM Round 1 Game 1

Raxrets, I would cut Sheed some slack. Here is a guy who got in about 6 conference finals and a guy who could turn it on when he wanted to in his youth. I believed him when he guaransheed that second game in Indiana back in 2004. Too bad I don't bet.

I see him more as a fallen warrior who is still proud. He was never a Garnett in mentality but he accomplished a lot with his teams anyway.

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I'm pointing out that he is not what he used to be but he refuses to accept reality.

Basically, no backup small forward. So if Tay is doing terrible, and he was, no choices. Afflalo did do a pretty decent job of backing up small forward defensively - but it sure would be nice to have an actual small forward to backup Prince. Just maybe we could get some scoring out of the position. (nothing wrong with Afflalo playing backup to Rip, but as a backup to Tay, we go small.)

No power forwards used save for 6 minutes. (Not including 3 minutes of GT, where between Amir and JMAX, they logged in another 6 minutes.)

The entire game, either we had two centers in where we only need one, or we were going with small ball, three guards.

Herrmann did get into the game for a couple of minutes. Pretended to play D. Bron scored some pretty easy baskets right there. As I have said, we don't have a backup small forward. Herrmann is not even an NBA player. What kind of total amaterish organization goes into the playoffs with no backup small forward? Dumars and Curry should be fired for this one.

Stuckey was about the only guy getting to the basket for us and getting to the foul line. But Sheed was at least shooting some stuff closer in than the 3 line.

Stuckey did ok in the first half, but I think he fell in love with his jumper after making a couple.

Rip and Tay seemed invisible. Rip did hit some shots. But what an embarrassment on that fast break. No, Tay knew exactly what Rip wanted to do. Finish a fast break by missing a stupid midranger. Can't blame Tay. You can blame the coach for even allowing this type of nonsense during the regular season. Don't let your kids watch this stuff. Fast breaks are suppose to end at the basket.

Chances of Curry changing anything? Not a chance. If anything, he will cut the bench minutes even more. Who cares if our starting unit can't play a lick of defense.

PS, I don't know what Tay was smiling about. Seemed way to jovial to me for a game where his team was getting waxed.

Amir did not play. Probably never will again as a Piston. What a shame. Did I mention, Dumars really needs to go at this point. Correcting the mistake now by firing Curry - too late. Hiring your buddy to embarrass the city this bad - you need to go. You should resign in shame.

Back to the game. Not much more to say. Oh, Bynum did so so. Kwmame really looks like he cares. But Curry can't let him play too much as he might make the other team foul him. Not in Curry's play book.

Edited to add. I hope I do not even have to state this by now. But just in case someone is reading one of my game reports for the first time this season - the absence of a power forward meant that our defensive rotation was lacking the whole game. (All of it, around the basket and the perimeter.)

I think they should start Rip, Tay, Stuckey, Bynum and AA next game if the bigs don't want to play. They can use 2 guys to set Rip's screens if they need to.

I really think LeBron is going to wear down as the series progresses. Tay made him work hard for his points.

I knew Tay would have a good game today when the first time he caught the ball today (in the backcourt on an inbounds) he stood perfectly still for 4 seconds before he started to bring the ball up. He then gave the ball up, wove through traffic and caught the ball by the right elbow and stood still for 4 more seconds before he left his shot short (No really, he left it short).

I had to laugh when after running Rip off his myriad of screens to nowhere they passed to Tay in the corner with 5 seconds left on the shot clock and LeBron on him. The only uncertainty I had of the forthcoming missed was because I thought he might just stand there until the buzzer sounded.

I am very surprised by what I saw today. I saw a Pistons team that pretty much laid down for the Cavs. You could see the look in their eyes. That look we have seen the past couple of seasons right in the closing minutes of a series ending loss. The sad thing is that look appeared late
in the 3rd qtr of game 1. I don't think this team has any confidence in each other or Curry. I thought they would atleast put up a fight and win a couple of games, but now I just don't know. It could go either way. These guy's could just fold like a blanket and get swept.

No matter the case it is in excusable to get blown out in game 1 and let the Cavs shoot 53% from the floor. You know what you are getting with LeBron and the Cavs. The Pistons had 3 days to prepare for him. You mean to tell me Curry come up with any type of skeem to fluster LeBron and the Cavs and atleast win game 1 or atleast lose a close game?

Curry sucks and he should be fired. At this point Joe D. is on thin ice too in my book. I am starting to think John Hammond was the brains behind this outfit.

There isn't any confidence. Someone wrote a great article on the CB trade and by extension what the trade said about the goals of this season to the existing players, but i don't remember who/where.

They're not stupid. They know that they were essentially given up on as a group (whether rightfully so or not). I don't see the "giving up" thing as much as we are over matched, we know it, our coach is a rookie, he's struggling, and everything that we currently try is useless.

They are either going to put their head down or blow up; so it's pick your poison. Do we want to see defeat in their eyes or ejections? It's easy to close your eyes, and fight tooth and nail with little to no hope if you are a naive young team, and even then there's a point where you just realize you can't win.

Someone else mentioned how the experience actually hurts the Pistons, not helps them, and IMO that's 100% true for the reason above among others.

The game turned for me when Rip pulled up and missed his J on the break when they were down 3. You have to look at people like Jerome James, Bobby Phils and Malik Sealy before I choose Rip on a fast break.

I am very surprised by what I saw today. I saw a Pistons team that pretty much laid down for the Cavs. You could see the look in their eyes. That look we have seen the past couple of seasons right in the closing minutes of a series ending loss. The sad thing is that look appeared late
in the 3rd qtr of game 1. I don't think this team has any confidence in each other or Curry. I thought they would atleast put up a fight and win a couple of games, but now I just don't know. It could go either way. These guy's could just fold like a blanket and get swept.

No matter the case it is in excusable to get blown out in game 1 and let the Cavs shoot 53% from the floor. You know what you are getting with LeBron and the Cavs. The Pistons had 3 days to prepare for him. You mean to tell me Curry come up with any type of skeem to fluster LeBron and the Cavs and atleast win game 1 or atleast lose a close game?

Curry sucks and he should be fired. At this point Joe D. is on thin ice too in my book. I am starting to think John Hammond was the brains behind this outfit.